Weather Forecast

Midwest Musings

Still a lot of ground to cover before ground can be covered

By Tim LinscottManaging Editor Grant Mayor Mike Wyatt has a vision and a plan for developments to address the housing needs locally. I appreciate that he has a plan, a road map if you will, but the numbers recently bantered around are speculative only and shouldn’t be set in stone. I appreciate how he addressed the issue in a public forum and began laying out the groundwork for future homes to be built. However, I personally want people to get the idea that next week ground will be broken and in two weeks 25 houses will be built. These things take time. Again, I appreciate that the city has moved forward in the last few months on making a decision on a CRA, put the plan into motion and have rough numbers to play with but in the grand scheme of things, it will take years to get this entire project completed. Now having a clear vision and striving for something keeps things progressing, those numbers will change and those timetables will hit snags. It happens with every project of this magnitude. A lot of ground has been covered by the council as of late and I commend them for their efforts. Continuing those efforts and intensifying those efforts will be the true test of the merit of the council and mayor as time progresses with this project. I am encouraged that the effort has seen this much movement, but have also seen projects like these lose steam easily and sit for years. Personally, I have been involved with a business venture with public implications for the last five years in a community in southeast Nebraska. For every one step forward, the project would sit and not move. The last I knew the project was progressing along...slowly. This is where public perception and public education comes into play. The public needs to have these public statements made, speculative or otherwise, to keep the fire lit and inform everyone on progress, no matter how minute. City administrator Dana Harris has told me, ‘Something will get done,’ and I believe her. However, no matter how fast this process moves, it won’t be fast enough. I encourage everyone to stay vigilant, stay involved and stay informed from sources such as council members, them mayor, Harris or the paper. I recently had a conversation with a former colleague about Facebook and the power it has had over the media and social interaction within a community. “This store is coming to town,” someone posted on her Facebook page. “How do you know?” she asked. “I read it on Facebook,” was the reply. Upon further investigation and digging a bit deeper, it was someone saying, “I wish this store would come to town.” Go to the source directly, folks, and be patient in this entire process. There is a good crew of people picked for the Community Redevelopment Authority (CRA), which have the best interest of the city and its people at heart. They are knowledgeable and have foresight, which is what will be needed in this process. The Tribune-Sentinel will continue to cover this situation as it progresses with as much new information as we can get from our sources. Patience may be a virtue for all involved as we begin to take steps forward in realizing this vision that not only Mayor Wyatt has, but we all have in tapping all of Grant’s potential.